The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Quercus phellos, Willow Oak, which has been given the varietal name ‘QPSTJ.’
The original tree of this new Willow Oak variety was discovered in 2001 as a chance seedling growing in a cultivated area of a nursery in Oconee County, Ga. It had been purchased as a 12 to 18 inch liner in spring 1997 and at that time planted in a cultivated nursery field. This tree was transplanted to another cultivated field in spring 1999. In winter 2003 it was transplanted to an observation area where it has remained since that time. It is now 9 years old from a seed. The description of this new Willow Oak variety is based on observations of this original tree and of asexually propagated progeny, asexually propagated in Oconee County, Ga., from softwood cuttings. These asexually propagated progeny are being grown at a nursery in Oconee County, Ga.
Common Willow Oak is typically a large deciduous tree with a dense, oblong-oval to rounded crown at maturity. On average it will reach 40′ to 60′ high and 30′ to 40′ wide. The largest trees will reach 100′ in height with an equal spread. It is native to bottomlands, floodplains and adjacent slopes, and rich uplands from New York to Florida, west to Missouri, Okla. and Texas. It prefers moist, well-drained soil but adapts well to harsh conditions. It is one of the best oaks for the heat, drought, and humidity of the Southeast, but also does well in the more arid Midwest. Willow Oak is hardy in USDA Zones 5-9, but performs best in Zones 6-8. It has survived temperatures as low as −25 degrees F. in Cincinnati, Ohio.
This new Willow Oak variety is distinguished from other Willow Oaks known to the inventor by the following unique combination of characteristics: upswept branching habit, dense canopy, dominant central leader, yellow fall color, and relatively fast growth rate. When discovered in 2001, the original tree of this new variety was in the top twenty-five percent in growth rate of the group of Willow Oak trees planted at the same time at the same size in the same group of seedlings.